June 14, 2015

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for June 14th: 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13; Psalm 20; 2 Corinthians 5:6-13, 14-17; Mark 4:26-34: Theme: Wait for the seeds of faith to grow: Song: Have Thine Own Way - UMH 382 2 Corinthians: This is Paul’s continuation to defend himself against criticism from the Corinthian church. He continues to remind us of what it means to have life in Christ. He continues to make the distinction between life in the flesh and life in the spirit. But he says that if we have given our life to Christ, then we should behave the same in spirit and in flesh. The spirit of Christ should take over the actions of the flesh. Imagine if we had the ability to see people as God sees them and not how we see them? In God’s eyes, we all have the same potential. We all have the responsibility to live up to that potential. In Christ we can change at any moment, and live according to the encouragement of the Spirit. We can always become a new person in Christ. Mark: We live in a world that is filled with potential. We live according to what is happening today, but also what will happen tomorrow. God starts with potential, then he waters it, nurtures it and watches it grow. Our destiny is never jut given to us, we just have to grow into it. Jesus says that the kingdom of God is like seeds that are sown everywhere. Some of them grow, and some of them do not. But each of us has potential to grow where we are planted. Sometimes, it is the most unexpected plants that grow the most. That is the parable of the mustard seed. To always have faith. To believe in God and to believe that God has a plan for you and for your life. To know that you are present in this moment, but most importantly, God is preparing you and us for eternity. Questions: Who are we ignoring in the church? Who do we need to be reminded that they are equal to us in the eyes of God? What fleshly behavior do to need to get rid of? What spiritual behaviors do you need to further develop? How is god spreading seeds in your life? What seeds are you spreading to other places and people? What mustard seeds have you witnessed growing in the world?

May 31, 2015

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for May 31st: Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 29; Romans 8:12-17; John 3: 1-17; Theme: All led by God’s Spirit are God’s Children; Song: Every Time I Feel the Spirit UMH 404 Romans: This is a continuation of our lesson on the Holy Spirit last week. We are encouraged to live life in Christ. They way to do that is to be baptized and to recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit in our life. And to consent to be led by the spirit in all that we do. That will help us to rise our human need to think only of ourselves, but to think about the people and things that God cares about. When we are led by the spirit, then we are children of God. Not everyone earns the title of child of God, just because they are alive. They have to be led by the spirit. When we are able to trust the spirit, then we can’t go wrong – we will experience the wonders of God’s fruit directly in our lives, which will bring joy unspeakable. Baptism is dying and rising with Christ. John: Jesus also talks about baptism to Nicodemus. It is a way of being born again, and embracing a new spirit in our lives. When we are born again, then we can put aside past negativity. We don’t have to trust the world, (which has nothing for us), we can trust God fully and completely. God loved the world so much that he makes that available to all people. But he tries to help Nicodemus understand that only those who follow Christ have to power to overcome the understanding of this world. We can celebrate the fact that God is always on our side. He sent Jesus here to the world, because he wants us to be winners. A winner will never lose, because everything is in God’s favor. Questions: What does it mean to you to be born again? How are you like Nicodemus? How do you learn from his questions? What does it mean to be a child of God? What helps you to follow God’s will in all things? What hinders you?

May 17, 2015

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for May 17th: Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47; Ephesians 1:15-23; Luke 24:44-53: theme: Ascension Sunday ; Song: Up From the Grave He Arose UMH 322 Acts: This book chronicles the early church and how it grew and survived. It tracks the steps of the risen Christ in the lives of his followers. An important point in the journey was the day that he returned to heaven. This is one of the few non Sunday observances that John Wesley thought important enough to keep in his church calendar. I love that at the end of today’s scripture, angels ask why are you looking up in the sky for Jesus? Jesus is inside of our hearts, most importantly, Jesus is out and about in the world. Jesus promises us the power of the Holy Spirit. So we can start to expect it in our lives. If Jesus is in heaven now, it is up to us to embody the presence of Christ in the world. Luke: This is the story of the Ascension, as Jesus brings his disciples out to the beach and he gives them instructions and then goes up to heaven. Once again he tells us to wait for the presence of the holy spirit, and then first repent yourself, and second preach the power of repentance and forgiveness to the world. You don’t need to worry about traveling, change the world right where you are! There is a reason that we are in the place that we are in. We have work to do, and we have a message to give to others. Jesus is not going to do that work, he went to heaven. He left it to us to do. The scripture says that the followers has a deep sense of joy for having Jesus with them. They continually rejoiced in the temple – spreading the word, and living it brings joy and appreciation. The spirit of Jesus is with us when we are spreading his message! Questions: do you think the ascension of Jesus really happened or is it just an informative story? Where is heaven? Is it up in the sky or in our hearts? What are you doing in preparation for the Holy Spirit? Do you get a sense of joy from telling the story of Jesus to others?

May 10, 2015

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for May 10th: Acts 10:44-48; Psalm 98; 1 John 5:1-6; John 15:9-17; Theme: Mother’s Day; Song: Blessed Assurance UMH 369 1 John: The essence of God is love. The essence of being a Christian is knowing how to love one another. This Easter season, we are being pounded with messages of love for one another. We are reminded that if we live our life in Jesus then it is easy to love others. We are reminded that it is not human nature to love. But Jesus gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit, so that we can indeed learn to love like Jesus loves, which is in turn how God loves us. There are still a lot of people in the world who don’t know what love is – it is the job of the church to show them. John: In the book of John, we are examining the I am statements. Jesus tells us step by step who he is, and why we should care. He is telling us that our salvation comes through him, and through his efforts. And that if we want to have a relationship with God, then we need to have a relationship with Jesus. Today, Jesus tells us that he is the vine, and that we are the branches, and that God is the vine keeper. But he goes farther than that. If God can take care of us through Jesus, then we are to take care of one another and God’s creation. He commands us to love. To learn to love sacrificially. But whatever we do in the name of the Lord is not a sacrifice, because we will always get it back! God will pay us back for the love we give to others. The command to love is not to give to others, but to invest in ourselves! Questions: What stands in the way of you loving others? What do you get in return when you are able to show love? How have you experienced God’s love in your life? How do you get your nourishment from Jesus for your life?

May 3, 2015

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for May 3rd: Acts 8:26-40; Psalm 22:25-31; 1 John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8; Theme: The Love of Jesus in our lives; Song: Swing Low Sweet Chariot (UMH 703) 1 John: We will be focusing on 1 John for the rest of the Easter season. I think that it has an important message on love for us to keep in mind. And for us to be reminded that live in Christ, is a life of learning how to love. You can tell the fruits of our spirit based on our ability to love one another. Love is not a feeling, love is action. Jesus showed us true love by dying on a cross for us. He chose to die in that way, because he knew the consequences. Not only should we be baptized into his blood, but we should but we should live our lives inside of his love. People should see Christ in all of our actions. When people are able to see Christ, they are also able to see God. People come to Christ, or they step away from Christ based on what they see in us. John: As United Methodist, we live in Christ by participating in worship, studying the word, private and corporate prayer, communion, fasting, and listening to the word. Jesus says that he is the vine and that we are the branches. As branches we stay connected by practice of these five things. We are not responsible for our own salvation, neither are we responsible for growing fruit. We stay connected and God is able to work through us. When we are disconnected, then we become very ineffective. In John, Jesus uses a lot of I am statements in order for us to understand what our relationship needs to be like and how we should trust him in all things. Do you trust Jesus to work his magic through you, are you open so that Christ can come in and work with you? Questions: How do others see Christ in your actions? How do you show love to others? Can you show love to those who don’t show love to you? Are you grateful that Christ died for your sins? What does it mean for Christ to be the true vine? When Christ gives you fruit do you give it away for keep it for yourself? What ways do you depend on Christ in your life?

April 26, 2015

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for April 26th: Acts 4:5-12; Psalm 23; 1 John 3:16-24; John 10:11-18 Theme: Good Shepherd Sunday Song: 407 Close to thee Acts: When I was a little girl, my aunt told me that if I didn’t remember anything else about faith, to remember that salvation was in the name of Jesus, and Jesus alone. She told me to make sure that I was not baptized in the name of the father, son and holy spirit, but in Jesus name alone. She, like many people believed that there was power in the name of Jesus. She told me to always refer to this scripture about the power in one name alone. Jesus. There is power in one act alone – that is resurrection. Peter is being questioned by the authorities as he is preaching the gospel. Who gave you authority to speak to the people and to do these acts? By what authority do you speak? They were witnesses to God’s power in Jesus Christ, that is all that was needed to make a difference. Jesus gives us the power to witness to his goodness today. We have the authority to speak in Jesus name! John: This is the week when we remember what it means for Jesus to be the good shepherd. What does it mean that Jesus will take care of you? What does it mean for you to be a sheep in need of a shepherd? We are always in need of guidance. It can become so easy for us to become caught up in life and to see nothing else in front of our noses. And we need someone to guide us to the right places, sometimes in spite of ourselves. Jesus says that we don’t have to think in order to truly hear his voice in our lives. We automatically respond to his command. Even in the midst of other voices that call out and try to lead us astray- God’s sheep still follow their shepherd. It takes a special person to be God’s shepherd, and that special person has a special name – Jesus Christ. Questions: What power does Jesus have in your life? How do you tell others about the power of Jesus name? Is Jesus the ultimate authority in the world today? Why or why not? How do you recognize Jesus voice? What other voices compete for your attention in your life? Where is Jesus leading you right now? Is it peaceful? Is it to a better place than you are now?

March 29, 2015

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for March 29th : Mark 11:1-11; Isaiah 50:4-9; Psalm 32:9-16; Mark 14:1-15:47; Theme: the passion of Christ; Song: Were you there? Mark : The reading for today is the passion story. The story of how Jesus was betrayed, how he was led to the cross, and we hear every gory detail of how he was nailed to the cross and died. It is important for us to hear this story every year. And in some sense feel pain that Christ felt, because it was felt on our behalf. The year that the passion of Christ came out, I had a youth ask me if we needed to remember every detail of the cross. I used the example of a gift, when you give a gift to someone do you leave the price tag on the gift or do you take it off. We hear the story, but we don’t have to live the pain. That pain was a gift given to each of us freely. The correct response of getting a gift is saying thank you. Let us hear and read this story and say thank you. Be present to our sin and develop a determination to repent and sin no more. During lent we have journeyed with Christ. We have journeyed with him to the Cross and now we are invited to journey with him to death. That is the only way to get to true resurrection. Questions: How has lent been for you this year? What have you learned about yourself? What have you learned about God? What does it do to for you to relive the story of Christ? How are you affected by hearing the Christ story? What sins need to be forgiven? How can you repent in time for Easter? What needs to be resurrected inside of you?